What's in a Name?

Since we have had the fun and difficult job of coming up with a name for our new daughter, I thought it would be fun to explain the importance of naming in Korea.

In Korea a name is usually made up of 3 characters. Each character is pronounced as a single syllable. The family name is placed first followed by the given name made up of 2 characters, one of which is chosen by the clan and used by all members of the same generation. This is the generation marker and changes from one generation to the next. Some families give generational markers to female offspring, but most do not since females are not usually recorded in the family chokpo (the genealogical table that traces one's lineage).

There is a great variety of given names, but only about 274 last names in current use. Forty- four of the last names account for less than 100 persons each. Each character of a Korean name has a certain meaning. According to tradition a child's fate is influenced by the name it is given so it is not uncommon for the parent, or the paternal grandfather who is usually given the honor of naming the child, to consult a professional name maker. (Notes on Things Korean, Han 1995)

Here are the meanings of our children's names:

Josiah TaeHyung

Josiah = sustained by God, Tae = great, Hyung = goes well

Naomi YooJin

Naomi = beautiful woman, Yoo = mild, Jin = true

We got a very nice surprise today - several new pictures of Naomi. Hope you enjoy them as much as we are.